I've seen on a few posts lately words like "this will get deleted soon" and it seems a lot of people have misconceptions about the way we deal with touchy scenarios - it's not an act of suppression as some may seem to think. As moderators of the forums, our goal is to make everyone happy - unilateral happiness is what we strive for, but at the same time pleasing everyone is impossible, especially as a forum grows - the more members we have, the more likely that someone will be at unrest for some reason or another (it's simply how probability works, we cannot pretend that there will never be problems, even in a community that likes to value "lover and tolerance" - bronies are people just like anyone else, expecting there to be no conflict is unrealistic), be it a problem with another member, the community as a whole or an assortment of other reasons. When this unrest emerges our first instinct is to try to mend the issue to return the user to said happiness, but in the same manner we cannot allow the process to endanger the happiness of others - the problem with large public posts expressing anger is that should we allow them to sit, more and more people will try to combat the original post or support it, thus more people enter the situation - from this point the situation escalates and what was a problem between a few users becomes a forum wide brawl, thus the unrest spreading - with our goal of happiness to as many as we possibly can, this is a scenario we work hard to avoid. So how does it get solved again? Simply put we take it out of the main public, problems like that are best dealt with in private where misplaced aggressions, hasty acts of frustration and making a big public spectacle are kept from harming others, whether the original frustrated member aims to do just that or not. We prefer to keep the ordeal between the involved parties and mediate it for the better. We are not hiding anything, nor do we expect a vow of silence - we simply want to deal with the scenario as cleanly as possible. Things done in private between the moderators and members will become public, it is expected - people talk and others listen, the parties involved content in that they have nothing to hide, but we prefer to leave this to the decision of the involved parties whether or not they'd like to disclose what happened instead of holding it out for all the world to see, personal feelings may be involved or other things best kept private - in that manner we respect the user's decision. So what does that mean if you want to address a concern about the community in public to get others opinions on it? Nothing, go ahead - if a thread is closed it's simply to prevent a violent outburst from the community, if your concerns are valid and not addressed in a manner that isn't inflammatory it's simply a discussion, and discussions are the main point of a forum, thus it is encouraged. The difference between what gets closed and what doesn't is simply a matter of how it's addressed. Now if your problem is with a specific user then your problem is best addressed either: -Directly and privately with said user or -Bring it to the Community Managers in private We choose our Community Managers as people we see as effective in dealing with conflicts between members, they are the mediators as mentioned earlier. The idea being to get a calm, unbiased outside source to weigh in on the issue and help resolve it in some way the both of you come out content. Note this doesn't mean every case will be sunshine and rainbows, sometimes if a party is directly in the wrong they will be dealt with as such. It's simply that if your problem is with a specific user, or a group of specific users, it doesn't need to get the entire forum involved in dealing with it, it is between you specifically, it's not everyone else's problem. And note when a thread is deleted, it's not truly removed. I generally unnapprove said inflammatory threads so while they still show up in the forum they're out of the public eye, they can easily at any time be re-approved and thus return to public. In this manner there's always a clear record of what has gone on with the site, if the thread was closed unrightfully if you bring it to the attention of the mods with a vallid reasoning it can easily be re-opened for discussion.
I'd also like to add that some of you have expressed concern about approaching the community patrol for various reasons, so I hope the next few points will ease these concerns for both new and old members alike. 1 ) Someone might find out I said something. Everything told to us is in complete confidence. Unless it's completely obvious, no one will ever know what you say to us unless you give us your permission to, and even then only to relevant parties (other community patrol members and possibley admins if needed). We never spread secrets and everything is kept in confidence as much as possible. I must say that there are extreme circumstances in which we cannot stick to this, but they are only in extreme circumstances. 2) What I say criticises the staff. As community patrol, it's our job to express the concerns of the community, both good and bad, including the staff. If you feel we've done something wrong, or that we could be improved in some way, please don't hesitate to tell us. We are chosen for our maturity and ability to remain neutral. We will address everything told to us and we appreciate it when you tell us when there's some way we can improve. We run this site for your sake, so please get involved. 3) A moderator won't listen to a little guy like me. This couldn't be further from the truth. It's the little guys that mean most to us. We talk with a lot of members, but there's still places we miss, people we look over for some reason or other. We do our best to avoid this, but we're only human. If you feel forgotten or there is something to tell us, please send us PM or talk to us on skype. We try to make time for everypony. We were all little guys once, we know how it feels. Your voice can and will be heard, so don't silence yourself before you speak. What you say could change the future of everypony! I hope this has put some minds at ease and I look forward to talking to you guys in future! ~Foxytail
For some, no it's not common sense. And for those few, it's nice to have a reminder that the admins/moderators aren't the all-powerful gods they think them to be. At the end of the day we are all people, but it's not uncommon for some (especially new members) to feel slight intimidation by moderators. While that may seem silly, it's important to make everyone here comfortable.
You see, it's weird, because I've had everything from a casual to a hardcore internet life, been on a lot of forums, even been a mod a few times, and it's just...I've never had to see mods explain the how and why behind their job before. I feel like the line that probably explains the difference in understanding is the explanation from Mike about the nice reminder that admins ain't gods. Either you know that or you're the sort who needs to see it from that way until you grow up-that's about the nutshell of it. I've seen explanations about how the admins aren't a bunch of [censored for good taste] and why they play tough, but that's about it. This is sort of like that, only not- You know what, I'm rambling, and I'm not sure I have a point. So, conclusion, yes, the mods are not oppresive on certain negativity, just very aware of what will explode into something worse.
Either respond with something meaningful or don't respond at all Testy, this is meant for serious site discussion.
Seems clearly stated for me. It's too bad that it needs to be said at all, but good to see the effort has been put forth.
